


Loneliness never looked good

by Universal_revenge



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Feelings resurfacing too fast, Gen, Guilt, How do I tag?, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Lions are cool, Sad Story, Self-Destruction, Self-Destructive Tendencies, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Temporary Character Death, a bit of an AU, im sorry, some are never explained, some stuff is different
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:22:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27979542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Universal_revenge/pseuds/Universal_revenge
Summary: The crew are back on earth after the war was settled.Now Keith has trouble dealing with being back in the desert.(I suck at summaries) Read at your own risk
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith & Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	Loneliness never looked good

**Author's Note:**

> lol, found this on my phone from like two years ago, edited it and thought you should see it too. Inspired by way too many sad and angsty Keith fics. 
> 
> Might have some errors, idk?   
> Might missed a few tags, idk? Help a person out?
> 
> Bit late but here we go.
> 
> AU: Au where they still had the castle, Keith's mom died when Lotor took back his ship and his wolf disappeared.

He remembers when he got back to earth. When they all stopped by their families, dropped off one by one, only to get picked up a week later.   
Pidge and Matt got back to their parents.   
Hunk was with his moms.   
Shiro met his grandfather again, on the deathbed, he was older and after Shiro left for Kerberos he had gotten cancer. And couldn't do much about it, just wait for his death.   
Lance could finally see his family. All of them, they had been in his mothers house when they landed, only Keith, Coran and Allura was left. They was asked to stay for a while and Coran and Allura happily agreed. They only had to give Keith a ride to his home first.   
"Any family you are looking to see?" Allura asked.   
"Yes actually, I'm going to see my dad in a while, I just need to clean up my place first." He smiled at Allura.   
"That's nice."

They took off in the castle and set a course.   
Keith was lost in a thought when he saw his shack in the horizon.   
"Are you sure this is the place?.." Allura said with doubt in her voice.   
"Yes.. this is the right place.." He said slowly, with a small smile.   
"But.. it's so.. empty.."   
"I'll be fine, get back to Lance now, and have fun this week okay? It's time for a mental health week, for everyone." Keith smiled at them and waved at them when they left. 

"Lets see what's still here then."   
Keith could see his old hover bike. Standing where he left it. The door was intact and needed a few pushes to open.   
Everything was still there, his dads clothes, his mystery of the blue lion, the empty feeling, everything.   
Even those old bottles of whiskey, vodka and beer that he had to hide when the others got there.   
He took the whiskey bottle, opened it, put the bottle to his mouth and let his head fell backwards.   
The whiskey stung and burned good against his throat once again. He picked up the note hanger with the blue lions signals and sighed.   
“Time to clean I guess.”  
Keith collected everything that reminded him of the blue lion mystery, notes, boxes and cleaned it all. He dusted off everything in the small shack, took the expired food out and soon enough, he was done. All that was to throw away was in a pile a few meters away. He took the alcohol again and walked to the pile.   
It was now on fire.   
And Keith drank some more. And more. It got dark, but the fire was enough. And he missed his mom. 

He had finally met his mom, got to know her, got be a small dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless. For two years. He had his mom for two years.   
Then he lost it, all of it.   
His mom fucking died. Lotor's generals had given Her a critical hit, and then she got sucked out into the vacuum of space.   
He still had a strand of her hair, so some of her could be buried by his father.   
The wolf he adopted disappeared somewhere. Maybe he got tired of him.   
He held up the bottle before him and the fire.   
"Cheers! To my fucking life"  
He took another sip. 

\- 

Shiro had a bad feeling, not the kind when something is going to happen, but more when there is something wrong, and I should be there. He couldn't put his finger on it.   
Sure, he was happy to be with his grandfather but he needed to feel alive again, to eat, do things. To take care of himself. It was hard, Shiro knew that. But he was exhausted. Hunted. The memories Kuron had was starting to fade into his brain, little by little. He already knew a lot of it, he was okay, until Haggar made him so. He truly believed he was Shiro, and that he was good. But Shiro could see and feel Kuron on a way that he thought it really was Shiro who did it all. He yelled at Lance. Now he knew what he had said to him. He knew a lot of things, like Kuron was the one to plant the virus on the castle, ha had a fight with Keith. But that's really it, Shiro doesn't know what Kuron said or felt. But Shiro is starting to remember. 

Sometimes there was flashbacks, sometimes they came as memories, and a few of them had been dreams, nightmares.   
Kuron had met Keith's mom.. but where was she now?.. 

After a week and a half of begin with his grandfather, Shiro got a little tired, he needed to make sure he himself was okay, but also that his grandfather was. After telling almost all the stories for him he didn't know what to do.   
"My boy.. go see them. I can tell that you need that more than me right now" he took Shiro's hand and smiled.   
"Are you sure?.. I mean, I can stay here!.." Shiro started, but after his grandfather gave him a look.   
"Go, I'll be fine. I've had you for years before you left. And now I've had you for a few days. But you don't need me right now, and honestly I don't need you either. You have been dead for so long, and now you need to recover. Do that, with people you care about, not just me."  
Shiro had tears in his eyes, smiled a really small smile and thanked him. 

\- 

A week later he stood by his fathers grave.. he hadn't been there since the funeral when he was 9. That was 13 years ago. The hair of his mother was put in a box, 5 meters below. He had enough strength to dig a small hole for the box, then put it all back together. Violet flowers covered the graves. It reminded Keith of his mom, of their time together. Keith took a sip and walked away with tear stained eyes.   
Was the universe ever going to be nice to him? Would he ever deserve to have a family?..  
His father died in the fire, his mother in space, the wolf disappeared and he was left alone by his friends..  
He didn't want to be alone. 

Keith sat down on a park bench a bit from the cemetery. The light from town was low, he could see some of the stars, but not all of them, not like he sees them in the desert.   
"They are finally together right?.. RIGHT?" His voice cracked and almost broke as he tried to scream at the sky.   
Tears streamed down Keith's face. He had learned at the first home to never make a sound. At the second not to fight back. The third.. was bad. He was only 14, and yet, they made him do everything. But somehow he survived begin yelled at, screamed at. Broken down. Somehow, he still fought back. Why didn't he just give up when Shir- Kuron told him to. Why? Why didn't he succeed at Naxela? Why didn't he starve when his father left and never came back? Why did his mother have to come to earth and meet his dad. Why? Why why why.

The cold creeped in even more as time ticked by. 

It was time to go back home. 

-

Another week went by. He got new food and alcohol. He fixed a broken window. He broke down. 

Everyone had an anchor right? To keep you from doing something you would regret, from breaking promises. So you wouldn't loose yourself.   
Keith knew he had an anchor, but he lost it. He lost almost everything, he still had Shiro. But it wasn't enough to keep him stranded. He left before.   
If Shiro knew what Kuron did- said -Touched. He would blame himself, loose himself. And then Keith would loose Shiro too.   
It was better if they all forget about him and left him in the desert. Where he eventually would die of starvation, or guilt. 

—

What Kuron had said got to him..  
And I should have left you there, like your parents did.  
He started to believe what Kuron had said. What everyone eventually said. And did. They always leave. They would leave him to rot in the house if they saw him now, drinking, without a care in the world. No one to hold him grounded, he would fly away, to be with the stardust. Again.   
"You are only thinking of yourself, as usual!"  
"Yeah Keith, that's cold. Even for you."  
"The mission is more important than the individual."  
"War requires sacrifice."

Why was all of this coming back to him now. He ran. And ran. Keith's hands was in his hair, pulling, grabbing, hitting, throwing. It hurt. His breathing hitched, pain started swelling in his lungs, chest, through.   
His legs stopped working, a few hundred meters from the house. He landed on his side. His eyes teared up, his vision blackening. His mind wouldn’t shut up  
Drinking, sleeping, running, running Running RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING. Drink, loose yourself, make you feel like you are nothing. Abandonment. Abandoned you. Like everyone should have. 

"Stop.."

Keith tried to take a deep breath, to calm down, again and again until he could breathe. 

It was so long since he had an attack. He hadn't had the time to think about himself, what war really was. How much he had lost. If he ever even had it at all.   
His eyes dropped. They were heavy. He was tired. Another sip won't hurt. He took it. Than another, and another. Until he was asleep.

\- 

Allura felt that something was wrong. Her heart was heavy, she knew the rest of the paladins could feel it.   
"Can you feel it too?.." came a quiet voice from behind her. Lance.   
"Yes.. do you know what this is?.. my heart feels like.. - “Like you are being ripped, torn, between the worlds, your feelings are being all over the place, you are confused, but sad.."  
Yes, exactly.. how did he know?.. she looked at him with an expression that was a big ?   
"I once felt the same, well not exactly the same but.. a bit. It was a dark period in my life." Lance only smiled at her with sad eyes, as if he faintly could see the memories.   
"I guess one of us doesn't want to be here. It could be Shiro? He just got back from the dead. That must cause him a lot of trouble in his life. Maybes we should be with everyone, so Pidge’s family could come here, Hunk's too, maybe even Shiro's grandfather could come here?! My aunt is a nurse! She could help him. And Keith could take his family with him! So no one would be alone and scared! And we would all be with our families and with our friends!" Lance was grinning by now, Allura really liked the idea. She smiled too as she thought about it.   
"Yes.. that would be a really great plan Lance! Good work! Should we send the emergency alarm with a message? What do you think?" Alluras eyes glimmered with hope and Lance felt warm inside, happier, to know that it was his idea that put the smile in her eyes.   
"Yes, that would be perfect Allura!" I'll go tell my family to make room!" With that Lance almost ran out of the room and allura was left.   
Yes, it should be Shiro who felt this way, he had a new body and everything.   
She made her way into the palace and recorded the message and sent it to the paladins. 

"Incoming video message" the screen showed.   
"Accepted"  
Shiro's face came to the screen.  
"Hello princess, what's the matter?" He sounded a little off.   
"Well, Lance got a wonderful idea! Didn't he? I thought we could do it, that way no one would be too lonely while we are here." She smiled at Shiro. Who's eyes froze. Then blinked.   
"Did you feel it too?.." his voice was low.. serious.   
"I.. yes." Allura let out with a sigh. Then looked up, confused.   
"But I thought it was you who felt bad?.. with everything you've been going through?.."  
Shiro looked down.. "Yes.. but.. I.. I could feel that something wasn't right, when I got to earth I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, I thought I just imagined it.. but now.." silence fell.   
If it wasn't Shiro than could it be?..  
"And thank you, for taking my grandfather so he can come. He will be so happy to hear that he can leave the hospital for a while." Shiro smiled.   
"Of course, come when you are ready, in sure Lance's aunt will take great care of him while he's here."   
"I'll se you soon!" Shiro smiled, and turned of the camera. 

Allura walked back inside the McClain house. Thoughtful. Who was it that felt so bad when they came to earth that they didn't want to be there.   
Three lions came through they sky, black, green and yellow. All of them holding families together. Allura waved and called Lance.   
Everyone was there to greet them. Making up where everyone would sleep and what they would do, it was a long time since Allura had felt the warmth of families. She looked out to everyone when Shiro came up to her.   
"Hey, this is a nice place huh" he said and looked at the house.   
"Yes is is" Allura said.   
"Where is Keith again?.. I had black, but she didn't know where Keith was.. like she couldn't feel him.."  
He waited for Allura to answer.  
"We dropped him of in the middle of the desert. He said he was fine and that we actually got the right place.. and.. shit."

.  
.  
"What Allura?.."  
"He doesn't have a lion.. and he doesn't have a way from the desert.."  
Shiro sighed..   
"We can fly black to get him okay?.."  
Shiro got that bad feeling again and another headache. It was bad. He screamed. 

-

"Shiro!! Shiro! What happened?!" Shiro opened his eyes. Focusing. Had he really done that.. had Kuron done that. Was it even real?   
The others could see Shiro's eyes full of fear.   
"What's wrong Shiro?.." Pidge was the first one to say something.   
"What did Kuron do to Keith?? Tell me!" He almost screamed.   
"We... we don't know what you are talking about.."  
"What do you mean? What.. I can't have.. it would have destroyed him.." Shiro muttered.. he couldn't understand, how did Keith not even flinch when he said this words. When he gave him that scar.. Shiro gave him that scar. He felt like he was going to throw up.  
"We have to find him. Now!" Shiro said. "Did he say he was going anywhere?"  
"No.. he didn't say anything, just that he was going to see his dad when he got the time, he probably did it today or yesterday." Allura looked down. How could she have missed something like this?..  
"His father?.. are you sure?.." Shiro looked destroyed.   
"Yes, why? Is it a bad thing? Wouldn't his father be happy to see him again?" Allura was confused? Who's father wouldn't want to see his son again.   
"Allura.. he never told you did he?.. oh Keith..

His father is dead Allura. He has been for at least 10 years." Alluras skin was almost white in an instant. She froze. He didn't have a father? And never really had a mother? But he would have been all alone. Small tears was in her eyes but she blinked them away.   
"No.. he never told any of us."

All of them got into black. Coran made sure that everyone could be in the castle and communicate with them. It was a long silence in black.. no one dared to say anything. Until a small voice was heard over the screen.   
"Uncle Lance?.. who are you looking for?" She was at the most 4 years old. Sweet voice, brown hair in braids and freckles, one blue and one brown eye.   
"We are looking for our friend, Keith.."  
This time another voice came into screen. "You mean 'the Keith'? The one you were so jealous of back in garrison? The one who always was by himself except when he was with Shiro? Purple eyed mullet boy? Who didn't know who you were and like hated him for it? The Keith? The same one?"  
Lance stood quiet, looking down, ashamed.   
"Yes.." his voice was small and full of guilt.   
Shiro flashed a look towards Lance, but not one of disgust as Lance would have thought, compassion, understanding.   
"It's okay Lance, you weren't the only one, I was also jealous of him, heh, first time he ever sat in a flight simulator he broke my record with flying colours. It was natural to him, like walking, he always were good at it."  
Shiro smiled at the memories.   
"He doesn't blame you" he looked back at Lance, who gave a small smile in return.   
"We will find him" Shiro whispered. He hoped. 

\- 

Keith blinked. It was white, he blinked again and saw that the sun was high in the sky, blinding him. His body was exhausted and he was almost all covered in sand. He started to move, until his chest hurt and almost all of the sand was out of him. Keith felt his skin burn a little when he moved, how long had he been out here? He looked around, sand, sand and more sand. He looked behind himself, the crayons. But he was by his shack when he passed out? How did he get here? It was at least three miles. Slowly he got up and worked his way towards the caves, where the air would be cooler and shadows to cover him. Why was he here?  
He needed water. His mouth was dry and throat raspy. 

He couldn't see any water. 

A headache.   
He had a bad headache, how didn't he notice that before. It was pounding, pulsing with dizziness and hurt. He almost threw up, almost.   
His stomach hurts, it's probably his liver, after all, he hasn't been drinking for years. Now he drank a lot more than he should have.   
Keith laid back down, still exhausted. He shouldn't have drank as much as he did, maybe he wouldn't had a headache, or be so stupid to walk into his parents grave. Or maybe he would still be at home. 

"I should've abandoned you when I could, like your parents did"

Not again.. no.  
Keith's breath hitched. 

"No, no.. no, not again" his voice quivered, raspy and dry. 

"In fact you put the entire quadrant in jeopardy!"  
"You put all of our lives, the rebels lives, in danger!"  
You keep saying you're sorry, but your actions says otherwise."  
"Were were you?!"  
"Well look who finally showed up."  
"That's cold, even for you"  
"You fight like a galra soldier."

Keith was overwhelmed, everything hit him at once. Again. 

"I'll se you soon Keith.." was the last thing his dad said.   
"I should never have taken you in, you monster!" A glass was thrown at him.   
"Be quiet you stupid child! Your dad ain't coming back! When are you going to get that inside that stupid head of yours!" A push, a hit, another bruise.  
"You monster!" She said after he had hit another one of his bullies.  
"You really are useless.." another hit with a belt.   
Another scar. 

Another. Scar. 

Keith let out a soundless scream. Air pushing through his chest, out of his mouth. No sound, no matter how hard he tried. Breathing became harder for him.   
Gasping for air.  
Reaching for something.   
A soundless cry.   
A cry for help. 

Than it was all black. Again. 

\- 

It happened again. That awful feeling. Shiro almost threw up. His throght tightened. He almost couldn't breathe, neither could everyone else.   
They had to hurry. Shiro sped up black when the feeling got away.   
"Oh my god.." it was Hunk. He looked as if he had thrown up three times already. "What is he going through?.. what could possibly make him feel like this, in the desert?"   
"Oh no.." Shiro just remembered something important.   
"What is it?" It was Pidge.   
"Coyotes."  
"Shit, can't black move any faster?"  
"I.. I don't know." Shiro looked down, then out over the sands. It was peaceful. To know that he was back on earth. But to live in the desert like Keith did, he could never really understand. To wake up every morning, to know that outside the dot is more and more sand. To know that if you get lost you will probably never survive more than 3 days. To his right there was a light.   
Red.   
Red was here. To help, she must have felt it as well. Red looked to the Black lion, then forward to horizon and speeded ahead. 

\- 

Falling in and out of consciousness wasn't what Keith had planned. But constant nightmares and flashbacks kept him from being asleep and awake. It was either one or the other.   
Keith woke up outside another set of canyons. Close to those where he found the blue lion.  
His head is still pounding and his mouth is so dry that it hurts to breath. His body gets more and more exhausted. Soon he will pass out and never wake up.   
He looks around tiredly. He remembers this place. He tries to keep his eyes open, isn't this the place where his dad got shot?..  
He sees something he thinks is metal- looking parts. Probably.   
This time Keith didn't move. He just laid where he woke up. Tired, hungry, thirsty.   
At this rate he'll be dead by tomorrow morning.   
Keith stared at the sky, the blue sky. Some small clouds could be seen far far away.   
It would probably be a storm in the early morning.   
Keith closed his eyes.   
Maybe he wouldn't have a flashback today.   
His legs and arms are numb. He can't really feel them. It's like they're stuck.   
They aren't stuck. It's just his mind making things up.   
Is there someone walking over there? And there too?  
No he's only hallucinating. He knew this would happen, it has twice before. But who gets saved a third time, for the same reason in the desert?  
An old warm feeling filled his chest, was that Red? He haven't felt her in so long, he must have imagined it.   
Keith liked to think that this is the end. Where he could finally go to rest, to stop fighting, like Kuron had said. Where his corpse would get buried in the sand, mummified as it lays untouched for thousands of years, until the desert sand dig him up, for the world to see.   
Keith finally lets go. He is done. There is nothing here for him anymore. A smile taunt Keith's exhausted body before the world goes black. 

\- 

Red is fast, too fast for any of them in Black to catch up. But they could still see Red on the radar. They followed as fast as they could, more speed, thrusters at max. They flew past his shack in a second, to the blue lion crayons and beyond, where the sand was hard, but could easily bury the whole landscape in a second.   
Between the horizon and where they were they could see the red lion. Laying, with their nose in the ground. Before flying up and giving out loud roar full of despair.   
A new silence filled the desert, one were the only thing herd was the roars of the Red lion. Who couldn't save her paladin as she did before. If only she had felt it earlier, she could have done something. If he still piloted her, this wouldn't have happened. Not again. Not another of her paladins. Of her children. 

Shiro made Black move faster, by sheer willpower. The landed and he rushed out, Keith laid in the sand, parts of him were covered in it. He had a smile on his face, he looked so peaceful. Shiro hadn't seen him at such ease since long before Kerberos. He halted, but then rushed again. He dropped to his knees, checked Keith pulse. 

Bom 

Bom

Bom

Bom

He was slowing down.   
"Someone! Water! Quick!" He stumbled with the words. Bent down to feel his breath. 

In

Out

In

Out

Short, but he was still breathing, he still had a pulse, they weren't too late. He held Keith's head to his chest, tears running down his cheeks, begging, Keith to wake up. Hunk and Lance came up to them on the other side, they were dumbstruck, in chock.   
Pidge took her own skills to test, she rushed forward to give him some water, only now feeling how hot he was. Burning, actually. He swallowed some of the water, but not enough. She tried to cool his head by the water on his face. He stirred. Slowly, so slowly he opened his eyes.   
"Taka....shi.." his voice was weak, raspy, broken. Almost silent. Dark shadows under his red puffy eyes showed him exhaustion. He reached forward and cupped Shiro's cheek with one hand.   
"I'm.. sorry.." He forced a smile, then closed his eyes and let go.   
"No.. no Keith! Come back!" Shiro was crying. Ugly crying, there was no changing that. This scenario wasn't beautiful, it wasn't with silent tears, it wasn't without his nose running, it wasn't without screaming. It was an ugly cry. As it should be.   
"I love you!.. please come back! You just found me! I don't want to do this without you!.." He desperately screamed. Keith hadn't moved his hand from Shiro's cheek. A sign he wasn't gone yet.   
"Shiro.. we have to take him to the castle! He isn't dead yet!" Lance almost screamed with a broken, shuttering voice. Shiro finally understood what he said. That Keith wasn't limp in his arms. 

\- 

Shiro doesn't remember much more. He must have blacked out because next thing he knew he was standing outside a pod, where Keith was. He was so pale.   
So small.   
When had he let it come to this? 

"So you are finally back to yourself?" He heard Hunk behind him.   
"What do you mean?.. I don't remember?.." Shiro shakes his head. Hunk gave a smile.   
"The lions took over most of our consciousness, Lance told me, he wasn't totally gone, since he was flying red with Keith back. He said our eyes lit up, like our lions, and then they helped. But he said blue was there, to make him concentrate on what to do. She didn't take over all of him. It was fascinating, the lions are even more incredible then I thought."

"Wow. That's.. a lot to process. " Shiro shakes his head. “..How is he?.." He was almost afraid to ask.   
"A concussion, exhaustion, dehydrated, underfed, I don't think he has eaten anything since we got back, cramps, , , and.." Hunk stopped.   
"And what?.."   
"He had a lot of alcohol in his body. We think he almost poisoned himself... Shiro.. did he ever drink before?.." Hunks voice was low, a bit scared.   
"I.. I don't know... I think he had been drinking some before he met me.. but not while he was in the garrison.. they were strict about alcohol and how it clouded ones judgement.. but I don't think he did. Drank I mean." Shiro looked down. Then he realised something.   
"I can see it on your face, tell me."  
"He may have.. after Kerberos.. I don't know, he told be that his father used to drink sometimes.. his other foster parents too, often.. I.. I don't even know what happened after I left? How much he has changed and all that. We never talked about it." Shiro couldn't really remember, so much had happened. And Keith had been all alone for so long.   
"He.. he never told us.. that he didn't have his real family.. I guess he hinted it but.." Hunk looked down, he got to know something about the mysterious friend and it was nothing good.   
The others looked on the floor, it was Lance who spoke next.   
"I guess I always thought he was this perfect kid, who got everything he wanted as long as he had good grades... he just seemed too perfect if you know what I mean.." Yeah.. Shiro did know what he meant.   
"I guess I was just jealous of him, he had good grades, at the top in all of his classes, most of the teachers respect him.. I think. He was an amazing pilot, got noticed when he out of nowhere beat your scores. You noticed him. The teachers always used him as an example. Even after he got kicked out.."  
"Wait.. he got kicked out?" Shiro was confused. Keith said he left. It was the only thing they said about Shiro's time away.   
"Yeah. Violations against officers, broke curfew all the time, I don't know." Lance mumbled, there was a lot of things that could have gotten him kicked out. He actually didn't know what got him out.   
"I don't really know what actually got him kicked out. Everyone just said he got kicked out. Or that he dropped out, rumours where everywhere." Lance remembers this. He had been so happy to finally got into fighter class. Only because Keith had left. He felt like a jerk. 

"He told me.. that he didn't believe that you crashed.. that the garrison was covering it up. It was the only thing he said to me, then he was gone. I tried to find what happened to him too but.. he was gone. His files, his identity, pictures, he disappeared. Then I saw him again when he rescued you. I almost doesn't remember him. Anything about him. It was all gone. Except for the teachers who used him as an example. Or Shiro..  
I think.. that.. if he get back to earth.. he will come out of existence. He doesn't exist on earth anymore.. I don't want to tell him that." Pidge's voice broke and they started crying.  
No one said anything.   
They couldn't.   
It was enough.   
If Keith ever wanted them to know what happened, he could tell. But they all knew he probably wouldn't, especially after this. He doesn't want to be treated differently, like he needed help, like someone with a problem. Like he was weak. Because he wasn't weak. He wasn't allowed to be weak. 

\- 

A week. That was how long Keith was in the pod. A week. He didn't want to wake up. He really didn't. But he had to, the pod didn't let him stay, and he fell. Into strong arms.   
"You are alright, I've got you.." it was Hunk. Keith didn't have any energy, even though he had been asleep for a week he wasn't rested, he looked up at Hunk weakly, then he closed the eyes, and leaned into Hunks arms.   
"Come on, you need to eat, ill get you to the kitchen." Hunk lifted him up, and started walking.   
Keith looked up to the roof, the white walls were ever the same. 

He didn't say anything on the way, he only looked at the white walls around him with dull eyes. When they got to the kitchen Pidge was there. They didn't fully register that Keith was with Hunk until they looked a second time.   
"Keith!?.." they were surprised, Hunk could tell.   
"When did?.. what?.. why?.." they couldn't get their questions together.   
Keiths eyes locked with Pidge and he forced a smile, before his face once again fell into the same expression as before. 

Hunk placed his food in front of him, it looked good, and Keith was a bit hungry. He would at least try to eat. Keith took a small bite, it was so good. He took another one. Keith smiled, he was grateful, happy about food. It's been so long since he had eaten anything. His eyes almost teared, glittering, a bit red. He was so happy. Over food. Keith enjoyed the peace with his mind mind while it lasted. He never knew if he would feel this happy ever again.   
He ate half of hit, before he felt like he was going to explode. His eyes met Hunks, who had been quiet all this time, he was nervous, but Keith, with his shimmering eyes, gave him a real smile and mouthed a thank you.   
"I'm so happy you are okay! I was so worried! And I'm so happy you liked my food! I'm happy you are here to eat it! Please? Can I give you a hug?"  
Keith gave a small, unsure nod, and Hunk quickly got to him, to give him a hug.   
It was warm, Keith realised, he felt safe, but a bit eerie, he couldn't remember the last time he hugged someone. 

Keith relaxed in Hunks arms, Pidge joined too. They all needed a long hug, from everyone.


End file.
